East Kootenay Invasive Species Council praises RDEK bylaw changes

The East Kootenay Invasive Species Council says changes to the RDEK’s Invasive Plant bylaw have been needed for some time.

The Regional District recently amended the bylaw so that staff can immediately manage noxious plants on private properties.

Executive Director Todd Larsen says this will enable them to deal with weeds spreading out of control.

“The ranching industry has requested more enforcement of the regional bylaw,” Larsen days. “This is for private land only. There is also a bylaw for Crown land as well, so the Province isn’t off the hook either, but there’s a different mechanism for enforcing that.”

Larsen says its important for residents to know what type of plant life can be found on your land.

“The main focus of that will be dealing with high priority weeds in high priority areas,” Larsen says. “So if you have a bit of blue weed growing in your back alley, that won’t be a high priority, but if there’s something like Japanese Knot Weed on the side of a creek, that’s something that’s higher priority we will want to see dealt with.”

The changes were made to match up with the Province’s Weed Control Act.

The Regional District had to previously give property owners notice before they could take any action , which often allowed problem plants to spread further.

– East Kootenay Invasive Species Council Executive Director, Todd Larsen